County Council to explore eco ‘20-minute neighbourhoods’

Cameron Noble News Writer

Norfolk county council has agreed to work with authorities and transport leads to exploring the creation of modern, 20-minute neighbourhoods. The idea that anyone in a neighbourhood can access services within a 20-minute walk, with no need to get into a car, has already gained popularity in the USA, Australia, and Scandinavia. Those living in the community should be able to walk just 10 minutes to their nearest shops, schools, healthcare, and parks, with another brisk 10-minute walk back home. Scotland is looking to implement these neighbourhoods on a national scale.

Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Norwich North, Alice Macdonald, said, “At a time when the NHS is in crisis and patients are facing record waiting times, we need to preserve the Walk-in Centre, which provides essential services to so many people in our area” and added, “A recent survey I carried out on GP and dentist access showed many people are already struggling to get GP appointments when they need them. Closing the centre would only increase the pressure on GP practices as well as on A&E.

I’ve already been contacted by people in Norwich North who are really concerned about the threat looming over this invaluable service.”The debate comes as the region’s NHS services continue to experience significant pressures - not only in patient demand but also in staff retention.

Newly released figures published by NHS Digital reveal that around 320 staff resigned from Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust in 2021-22 - the highest figure since records began ten years ago. Nationally, 140,000 staff members resigned in 2022 – an increase of 41,000 from 2021. Industry trade unions have suggested poor pay and a lack of mental and physical support are to blame for the sudden shortage, with Pat Cullen - general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, stating, "Staff are leaving, realising they can get similar or better pay in supermarkets and retail without the stress of the job, and poor pay is creating severe staff shortages and making patients unsafe”.

The report on the future of the walk-in centre by Healthwatch Norfolk can be accessed via their website at www. healthwatchnorfolk.co.uk/ reports/. If you are a Norwich North constituent (check at parliament.uk/constituencies), you can complete Alice Macdonald’s survey on Doctor and Dentist Access at www. alicemacdonald.org/survey/.

In Australia, the Victorian government wants to make these neighbourhoods a reality for everyone by the year 2050. 20-minute neighbourhoods focus on improving infrastructure, where well-functioning public transport services, cycling and walking routes and green spaces are prioritised. The concept also recommends a range of affordable, modern and diverse housing options. Lana Hempsall, Conservative County councillor for Acle, Norfolk, initially proposed the idea of 20-minute neighbourhoods, which saw the support of 48 councillors, with none voting against it. She stated, "Typically, a 20-minute neighbourhood approach should help to disperse investment, jobs and services more widely across a town or city rather than just focusing on the centre. Making sure that neighbourhoods are compact and fully accessible, as well as containing a mix of different shops, services and amenities, will make it easier for more people to move around on foot, by wheelchair, by bike, by bus or other non-car means.” Whilst cars are not banned from the neighbourhoods, the idea is that they will not be needed for everyday life. 24% of UK emissions were from the exhaust pipes of vehicles in 2020. The reduction in car usage would inevitably have a positive effect on the environment, the concept suggests.

Furthermore, it has been suggested the policies would also encourage enhanced human health and well- being. Twenty minutes of exercise a day is widely considered to improve your general mood and bring down the risk of diseases such as heart disease; with the neighbourhood's design allowing for all essential services to be within a walkable or cyclable distance, members of the communities could be more active.

Dr Rosalind Bark, UEA professor in the school of Environmental Sciences, told Concrete: “It is exciting that the idea of a 20-minute neighbourhood is being discussed in Norfolk. Arguably, Norwich is already a 15-minute city for those residents living in the city. The popularity of the concept of the 20-minute neighbourhood around the world suggests that many people would like to live in such communities.”

Areas of Norfolk where major development is planned, where the 20-minute neighbourhood concept could be explored, include a proposed 'railway village' near North Elmham and in Attleborough, Thetford or the Rackheath area North East of Norwich.